Proverbs 9:5.​Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled (mixed).

Welcome, welcome my people, to another bright and glorious day in the fold of Almighty God! Bless His holy name! And please remember that you belong to the BEST fold in all the universe; the one overseen by God’s Son, His first born, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; such a wonderful caretaker that He’s known as the Good Shepherd! Glory be my brethren!

I don’t know what we’d do if we didn’t have Jesus nuh. We’d certainly be in a much bigger mess than we are currently in. But through His selfless sacrifice on the cross at Calvary, His most precious blood redeemed us, our abominable sins were paid for, He took the weight of our sins on His shoulders and gave us His righteousness!

And the great fact of the matter is that He was the Only One who could have atoned for our ghastly sins under the holy and righteous rule of the Father! That’s why we need to constantly remember His great sacrifice and praise His name and exalt Him, like the Father has done. As the Good Book says, the Lord is a rewarder of all those who come to Him in faith, who diligently seek Him and believe. (Heb.11:6)

And the greatest show of faith that ever was, is that of Jesus, who believed that though His Father put the sins of the world on His shoulders and forsook Him for a moment, He would eventually raise Him up again, so that they could once more dwell in heaven…with all of His other children, now deemed righteous by His sacrifice.

Oh friends, can we have such a strong and wonderful faith? It might just be a tad much for our finite souls, (smile) but there’s no reason why we can’t work steadfastly towards as great a faith as possible in this earthly life. And that’s exactly what the Lord desires of us, for it’s only through faith that we can receive all the promises He’s laid out for us.

Now hear this awesome promise as stated by Cousin Sol in our Bit. ‘Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled (mixed).’ Yes friends, that’s the Lord’s invitation for us today…in fact every day He throws out the same invitation… ‘Come!’ And live in wisdom and honour, understanding and knowledge. Like Cousin Sol says in the next verse: ‘Forsake the foolish (foolishness), and live; and go in the way of understanding.’ (Prov.9:6)

How much clearer can it be eh my fellow believers? Not much. But our great and wonderful God always finds a way to do it. Listen to how He says it through His prophet Isaiah: ‘Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money, and without price.’ (Is.55:1) Wow! What an amazing invitation! Only the Great God Jehovah can make such a promise and keep it!

And furthermore He asks? ‘Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satsifieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness (abundance).’ (Is.55:2) Oh my people which other supposed god has ever thrown out such an invitation eh? None other than the omnipotent God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!

And He’s still not done: ‘Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people.

Behold thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the Lord thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.’ (Is.55: 3-4) Ah my brethren what prophetic words of our great God!

Hear the scholars’ explanation of those verse. ‘55:1-7. God’s free gift of salvation is offered to all who will receive it. Those who are spiritually hungry and thirsty may come and eat and drink without money (or freely). He promises an everlasting covenant to the Gentiles like the one He established with Israel. His invitation to all men is clearly stated by the appeal, Seek ye the Lord and call ye upon him.’

And friends, what the Lord promises, He delivers, in spades too. He sent us Jesus to redeem our souls, and Bruh Paul to lead the Gentiles into His kingdom. And Jesus continued the Great Invitation: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt.11:28-30)

Oh friends, oh friends, what more must the Lord do for us to realize the wisdom of being one of His flock eh? I don’t know, and I don’t think the Lord knows either nuh, seeing that He has given us free choice to make our own decisions, else He would certainly do it. But be all that as it may, I’m imploring us to please hear the call of God today and respond in wisdom, for it’s in your best interest, not God’s.

Now for those of us wise enough to accept the call, let’s go home telling the world our position in Christ as we declare our Wednesday Wail. All together in harmony now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday!

Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’

And every time we declare it, my mind just boggles with how glorious that future will be! Much LOVE!

…blessed are they which hunger and thirst after righteousness…for they shall be filled… (Matt.5:6)

1 Peter 1:7.​That the (genine) trial (testing) of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried (tested) with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing (revelation) of Jesus Christ.

Ah friends, life can be so unfair at times eh! Chuh! For the past two weeks I was waking up to bright sunshine, blue skies, aquamarine surf rolling up on the shores, and tall coconut tress swaying gently in the cool North East Trade Winds, with refreshing island talk drifting up to my room.

But all of a sudden, I got up this morning and looking out my bedroom window, somewhat cloudy skies, multihued trees and a set of dead brown leaves on the cold looking grass shockingly greeted my sleepy eyes. It certainly brought my system to a standstill. (smile)

But there was one redeeming feature; my neighbour has a tall tree in his backyard, don’t ask me what kind, and it is covered in golden yellow leaves from head to foot! It looks real beautiful, could be a wonderful poster tree for the colourful fall season.

Yeh mih people, the ole fella is back home, dressed in his old red spring jacket, sitting in his old chair before his aged desktop, and writing much more comfortably than I did for the last two weeks on my laptop in J.A. But that vacation has been enshrined in the top ones that the duchess and I have taken.

It definitely is not number one. That place of honour permanently resides in one we took some fifteen to twenty years ago, in the same Jamaica, but we stayed in a town house somewhere down in the Parish of Trelawney. And brother, the things we did; climbing Dunns River falls, rafting down the White River and numerous other tours.

But I guess the highlight was boating up some river in the night with flambeaus, flaming torches all around, and drums beating in the distance, going to a night time barbecue somewhere along the river bank. Sorry, don’t ask me any more, because it seems I was totally wasted that night. (smile) The things we do when we are young eh!

But in my maturity and brokenness, I was still able to do one amazing feat; walk up the winding, dangerous nature trail to the Blue Hole Waterfall, and then walk back down in my flip-flops. And I would indeed be foolish to take all the credit, or rather any of it, because it was the Lord who carried me back and forth on His strong, massive, magnificent shoulders.

If I had known what it was like before attempting it, I doubt I would have done so. So please give the Lord all the glory, because in my weakness, His grace and strength were more than enough to see me through. Glory to the wonderful Deity we serve!

And on that note of thanksgiving, here is something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that certainly describes my life in the past couple of years. It’s titled ‘Don’t Stop Lord.’ Please pray with me. ‘Lord In asking You to make me whole I certainly didn’t know What I was in for. You have ransacked me Until I sometimes feel There is nothing left. But don’t stop Lord Please don’t stop! I’m trusting that the product Will be worth the process.’

Yes mih breddren, when I asked the Lord for healing, I surely didn’t know the paces He would put me through. And if I had known, I can’t say for sure that I would have asked for it. But since we’ve come so far, it’s too late to turn back now. And even if I don’t feel like crying out to Him to continue, the wise and sensible thing to do is let Him finish the renovations and refurbishment, because as Bruh Paul confidently told the Philippians:

‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you, will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus Christ.’ (Phil.1:6) Yes my brethren, once the Lord begins working in us, He never stops until the job is done, even if it takes till Jesus’ Second Coming. So please don’t ever give up on Him!

And the Bible Promise for the poem above is also our Bit. ‘That the (genuine) trial (testing) of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried (tested) with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing (revelation) of Jesus Christ.’

Oh friends, the Lord puts us through some tough trials to simply test our faith, to see how committed we truly are to Him. But He only does it for a ‘season,’ a short time. And if we stand strong and steadfast, He will bring us out of the testing fire, stronger, purer and more mature, like when gold and silver are burnished.

As James says: ‘My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations (various trials); Knowing this, that the trying (testing) of your faith worketh (produces) patience.’ (James 1:2-3) And patience, re perseverance, is something ALL believers need to acquire, and sadly, it cannot be acquired without going through tough times.

So please friends, let’s all try and bear up under whatever adversity comes against us, knowing that our ever-faithful God will not give us more than we can handle, and in any case will help us through the fire and the flood. And it’s going home time, so let’s declare our Tuesday Mantra with much sincerity, in loud voice and strong sense of purpose, proudly letting the world know who and whose we are.

In unison now: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’

And to be true to our word, let’s go out now and share the wonderful LOVE and compassion of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Much LOVE!

…truly living for Jesus is not easy…but praise the Lord…it is certainly very rewarding…

All praise and honour, glory and exaltation to the Most High God Jehovah, the Lord of hosts, the Great I AM, the Father of ALL Creation! Please give Him much thanks and praise, because He greatly deserves it! He is indeed most worthy of all our thanksgiving! Praise His Holy Name!

And if you’re wondering why such profuse praise to Almighty God at the beginning of the Bit…well it’s simple: My heart and soul are just bursting with thanksgiving and gratitude, because once again He has shown His amazing faithfulness in my life. Yes friends, during the dog days, the doldrums of my illness, I would lie in my bed and hear and see the planes going by in the distance like eagles gliding along on a draft of air, and my heart would just fill with a longing ache to board one of those iron birds and just fly away to some exotic destination.

But yuh know what mih people? In those sad, sick and frustrating times, the Lord would gather me in His Ever-LOVING arms and comfort me with the promise that one day soon, I would fly away on an iron bird to an exotic destination. And friends, in all faithfulness, through His exceeding grace, mercy and LOVING-kindness, the Lord has kept His awesome promise. And that’s why my inner being is just bursting with joy and thanksgiving, and tears of joy are filling my eyes and flowing down my cheeks.

Oh mih people, the ole fella is in J.A, Jamaica; in Xaymaca, the land of wood and water…and beautiful women! Seen quite a few already! (smile) Glory be to the Most High God Jehovah! And the sea, sand, salt, sun…and rum are most excellent, just as the Lord promised! Had a colourful, red, green and blue shark-bite cocktail last night. (smile) How can I therefore not LOVE Him and proclaim His awesome name eh?

Oh my faithful believers, our God is indeed a most wonderful Deity, a terrific Boss, a hard taskmaster who expects diligence and excellence from us, but who also generously rewards us when we are obedient to His Holy Will! Praise His name my people, for there’s no other like Him!

And now, as I write this, feeling the cool sea breeze float through the open door, hearing the surf break upon the sand and see the small boats with their colorful, blue, yellow and green sails, and hear the laughter of other travellers down below, I can’t help but realize how blessed I am! Glory to God!

And as I just read this over, tears again filled my eyes. It’s been a long road my brethren, almost two years of sickness…and not completely out of danger yet. I was so close to going home to Him, but He gave me a reprieve, for which I am everlastingly grateful! As they say here in J.A: ‘yuh never miss the water until the well run dry!’ In my case I was blessed that my well had not run completely dry. So friends, let me seek for a scripture that will admirably fit our Bit today. Soon come!

Oh friends, it didn’t take long. Before I could even open the Good Book the zeppo came; the sickness of Hezekiah, king of Judah. The Good Book says: ‘In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah, the son of Amoz came to him and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live. Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the Lord, saying, I beseech thee, O Lord, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore (bitterly).

And it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came again to him, saying, Turn again and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the Lord. And I will add unto thy days fifteen years…’ (2 Kin.20:1-6a)

Oh friends, I don’t know if I can compare my sorrow and weeping and goodness to Hezekiah’s nuh, but I do know that there was a lot of prayer and some tears. And the Lord in His mercy saw fit to grant me some more time here on earth. I don’t know if it’s fifteen years, or more, or less, but I do know that however much it is, I will enjoy it, and will praise and exalt His Holy name as much as I can, because He has been so good to me and mine. Glory be people!

When someone is good to us, we tell and show them thanks, so why not to our Maker and God eh? And I know that I’m not the only one so blessed, so why aren’t we praising and thanking our Saviour much more than we are eh? I don’t know the answer nuh, but it’s time to go home, so let’s declare our Wednesday Wail, letting the world know our position in Christ Jesus.

As one strong voice now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’

And if Jesus promised that it will be glorious, then I know it will be so indeed! Much LOVE!

…as for me and mine…we WILL follow the LORD…no doubt about that…

P.S. Sorry that it’s so late, but I was really tired after the long journey…no longer accustomed to it (smile) and I just got the necessary energy to set up my stuff. And as always, when I’m on vacation, I can’t guarantee what time the Bit will go out, (smile) but you will get it. Much LOVE! Time for the beach now!

Revelation 4:11.​Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created (by your will they exist).

Well it’s Tuesday mih breddren, and the Thanksgiving celebrations are over for another year… No, let me take that back: the large, overt celebrations are over for another year, because thanksgiving is something that should never cease in a believer’s life. Yuh notice how even in heaven the beasts and the elders fall down on their knees and worship and give thanks to God.

Hear this moving scripture. ‘And the four beasts (living creatures) had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not (cease) day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. And when those beasts (living creatures) give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,

The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created (by your will they exist).’ (Rev.4:8-11)

Yes friends, giving thanks and honour and glory to Almighty God is something that should never end! Even when we get to heaven we’ll do it, because our heavenly Father is indeed worthy of such exaltation. And the scholars offer these explanations: ‘4:6-8. The four beasts or living creatures (lit. “living ones”) are probably angels (cf. Ezek.10:15-22) who guard the throne of God.

The eyes symbolize wisdom, and the wings depict movement. They worship God as did the seraphim in Isaiah’s vision (cf. Is.6:1-3). The lion represents strength (cf. Ps.103:20), the calf service (cf. Heb.1:14), the face of a man intelligence (cf. Luke 2:52) and the eagle swiftness (cf. Dan 9:21). The angelic vision has a strong allusion to Ezekiel 1:4-14.’

You have a lot of scripture to check out there friends. (smile) I just checked them out and they are indeed very interesting and make sense as the scholars explain. And per our Bit and the two verses before, the scholars tell us: ‘4:9-11. All of heaven worship the Father. The angels extol His character, and the elders (church) extol His creative powers. God has the right to rule and the sovereign authority to judge the earth, because He is both holy and the Creator of all.’

That last sentence should speak very powerfully to us my brethren, making us realize just how indebted and dependent we are on our heavenly Father; the Creator and Controller of the universe! We exist at His behest and pleasure, and He can shut us down with a mere thought.

Thankfully though, He is not a God of mere whims and fancies, but a strong and solid Deity who LOVES us to the death, although we don’t deserve it. All that we are and desire to be, depends solely on Him. That’s why I can’t understand why it’s so difficult for so many of us to truly serve and worship and give thanks to Him.

Why do you think Bruh Paul wrote these three verses to the Thessalonians eh? ‘Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess. 5:16:18) Because that’s exactly what the Lord desires of every believer in His Son Jesus Christ; praying, rejoicing and the giving of thanks!

Now hear John the Revelator again as he talks about the Lion and the Lamb: ‘And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts (living creatures) and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. And the four beasts (living creatures) said, amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.’ (Rev.5:11-14)

Ah friends, what more can I say eh? If we truly believe in Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit as our Triune Deity, then it behooves us to serve and worship and give them thanks, now and forever! And we’ll go home declaring (spelled it right) our Tuesday Mantra, which tells the world who and whose we are.

But I’ll like to add a li’l something at the beginning because many of us, though we mouth it every week, still believe that we’re what we do and what we have. I recently heard Cousin Bobby (Bobby Schuller – Hour of Power) from whom I originally got the Mantra, make that point. And he believes we should preface it with ‘In God’s eyes:’ just to be precise.

So here we go, in loud voice and sincere hearts: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’

Yes my brethren, forget how the world thinks about or judges you, the only important opinion is that of Almighty God, and He LOVES us just as we are. So let’s go out and share that LOVE now, as He so greatly desires of us nuh. Much LOVE!

Proverbs 3:35.The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion (the legacy) of fools.

And then it was Thursday, the penultimate day of the workweek, and consequently all thoughts are turning to the weekend; considering the summer frolic it will bring. And nothing’s wrong with that, it’s all a basic part of life, but friends, I have an even more important announcement to share this morning; one that will bring enormous positive changes to your life if you embrace it in the spirit it was meant to be taken.

Please remember this: ‘The Bible is God’s Word to us, still fresh through ALL the ages! And if we read it, we WILL find God’s wisdom on its pages!’ That’s indisputable truth my brethren! So please let’s do the sensible thing and read God’s word so that we can find His wisdom and apply it to our lives nuh. That’s why He spent so much time inspiring the prophets and them to write it; so that we could have a Guidebook for successful earthly living.

And if you don’t believe me, just look at the messy, disgusting, evil and foolish lives we are currently living nuh. If we were truly reading and studying God’s word and putting it into practice our world would never be in such a state of anger, hatred, strife, power hunger, greed, poverty, economic deprivation and sickness.

But unfortunately, too many of us, including supposed believers are heeding the wicked and lustful ways of the world and not seeking God and His righteousness first in our lives. Remember Jesus said that if we sought God and His righteousness FIRST, all the things of the world that we NEED would be given to us. (Matt.6:33)

But our actions prove that we don’t believe it. We still attempt to work for them in our own strength and that’s never going to work properly my people! That brings us to our Bit, immortal words of wisdom from Cousin Sol. ‘The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion (the legacy) of fools.’

And that’s gospel truth my fellow believers! The problem though is that once you go down that foolish road and discover what will be your end, it will be too late to turn back then. That’s why you need to embrace the wisdom of the Good Book and the wonderful things it offers NOW!

Let’s take a look at a few scriptures to prove our point. We’ll begin with Job’s question as he acknowledges God’s justice. I know it is so of a truth: but how should man be just with God (can a man be righteous before God)? If he will contend (if one wished to argue) with him, he cannot answer him one (one time out) of a thousand. He (God) is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered?’ (Job 9:2-4)

And the sure answer to that is ‘NOBODY has done it, and NOBODY ever will!’ Glory be my brethren! For an infinite God, our Maker and Controller, who’s ways and thoughts are so much higher than ours, is the epitome of wisdom and justice! And there’s no better passage in the Bible that speaks to the importance of the acquisition of wisdom than the situation between God and Cousin Sol in his early days as Israel’s king.

One day Cousin Sol went to Gibeon to sacrifice to the Lord, and the Lord appeared to him in a dream by night: ‘and God said. Ask what I shall give thee.’ (1Kin.3:5) And we all know Sol’s response. ‘Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?’ (1 Kin.3:9)

Oh my people, my people, is that the kind of thing we ask for when God asks what we desire of Him? Very seldom! Most of the time we ask for things of the world.

And I like how the Good Book puts it: ‘And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon has asked this thing. And God said unto him. Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgement (justice);

Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches and honour: so that there shall not be any (anyone) among the kings like unto thee all thy days.’ (1 Kin.3:10-13)

Yes friends, that’s how magnanimous and generous our God can be when we ask for the right things; not stuff in pursuit of greed or selfishness. And let’s note the corollary to God’s goodness to Cousin Sol. ‘And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days.’ (1 Kin.3:14)

What more can I say eh friends? Nothing but to implore us to seek the face of God and His wisdom; to read His word and apply it to our lives, so that we may dwell in the peace and joy that accompany His promises. Now let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings which the Lord has generously bestowed on us.

In strong voice with sincere hearts: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!

I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’

And the next step is to go out and share it all with the less fortunate. God blessed us so that we could bless others. Much LOVE!

…wisdom is the principal thing…therefore get wisdom…and with all thy getting…get understanding… (Prov.4:7)

Psalm 90:4.For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night (three hours).

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday! The awesome day we gather in the Lord’s sanctuary to fellowship, worship and give Him mucho thanks and praise. So all roads ought to be leading to the Lord’s house today, especially when we consider what our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ said in His Great Invitation: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’ (Matt.11:28)

Yeh friends, the Sabbath is a day to find rest in Jesus, and you can’t find it unless you go to Him sincerely seeking Him. He’s just waiting there with open arms for us to come to Him. So let’s not keep Him waiting nuh. And today, we’ll begin the proceedings with an old favourite from the pen of Isaac Watts, ‘O (Our) God, our help in ages past.’

So without further ado, let’s raise our hearts, heads and voices heavenward as we offer up praise, worship and thanksgiving to our amazing and ever-LOVING God! ‘O (Our) God, our Help in ages past, our Hope for years to come, our Shelter from the stormy blast, and our eternal Home.

Under the shadow of Thy throne Thy saints have dwelt secure; sufficient is Thine arm alone, and our defense is sure. Before the hills in order stood or earth received its frame, from everlasting Thou art God, to endless years the same.

A thousand ages in Thy sight are like an ev’ning gone, short as the watch that ends the night before the rising sun.

Time, like an ever-rolling stream, bears all its sons away; they fly forgotten, as a dream dies at the op’ning day. O (Our) God, our Help in ages past, our Hope for years to come, be Thou our Guide while life shall last, and our eternal Home!’

Oh my people, what we’ve just sung is oh so true; every word of it! And they say it was based on Psalm 90, the psalm of Moses, and that seems to be also true, as Moses declares with unerring truth: ‘Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place (refuge) in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed (gave birth to) the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.’ (Ps.90:1-2)

Mama Yo! What words of indisputable truth! Before God even formed the world He was God! And since He made Israel His people, they found refuge in Him, when they were wise! And who should know better than Moses eh, since he led God’s people out of bondage from Egypt to the Promised Land, and communicated God’s laws to them during that fateful trip through the wilderness.

And as Moses continues: ‘Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men.For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night (three hours). Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which groweth up. In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up, in the evening it is cut down, and withereth.’ (Ps.90:3-6)

Yeh friends, in terms of time, one day to us is like a thousand years to God, since time has no real reckoning with Him. And as Peter corroborates in his message on living in the hope of the Lord’s coming: ‘But beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.’ (2 Pet.3:8)

Then we come back to Moses, who declares: ‘The days of our years (lives) are threescore years and ten (seventy); and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength (boast only) labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.’ (Ps.90:10)

All of that just means friends that our lives are like vapour, we exist for moment in God’s eyes then we are gone, like the grass that grows in the morning and dies in the evening. And even if we live fourscore (80) years (29,200 days) that to God is like 29,200 years. Imagine that nuh; to us 80 years is a big deal, but to Almighty God, it’s a mere flash in the pan. (smile)

The long and short of the story though friends, is that we are very finite, while God is infinite, plus He is our God and Creator and if we are smart we will hold on to His strong and mighty hand. And Moses was qualified to talk about death and all the other stuff since he saw a whole generation of Israelites perish in the wilderness for their disobedience.

Thus, when he beseeches God, we ought to listen, to pay serious attention. ‘So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom (gain a heart of wisdom)…. O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.’ (Ps.90:12,14)

And we’ll close with some immortal words of Cousin Sol. ‘Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom; and with all thy getting get understanding. Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she hall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her. She shall give to (place on) thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.’ (Prov.4:7-9)

Truer words were never spoken my brethren! So please, please, let’s seek wisdom and understanding through the Lord’s word, which leads to obedience, then we’ll be bestowed with the grace and glory we so greatly desire. Much LOVE!

…the only real wisdom that man needs…is to be obedient to his God and his Creator…everything else is foolishness…

1 Peter 5:6-7.Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care (anxiety) upon him; for he careth for you.

Another day of adventurous sailing friends on the ever-eventful seas of Life, with the Pilot of All Pilots, Jesus Christ at the helm! Mama Mia! That means there is no need to fear or worry, for Jesus is simply the BEST of the BEST!

Yes my people, He will never let anything untoward happen to us while He is guiding our ship, be it amongst storms and rocky coasts, or calm seas, with beautiful sandy beaches in the offing. So give Him some thanks and praise for His concern and faithfulness towards us nuh.

And the first thing Jesus wants us to consider as we set sail this morning is, ‘Dare to believe!’ Yes my brethren, He is daring us to believe in Him and His awesome powers and everlasting LOVE! And from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, comes this most appropriate prayer. ‘I Dare to Believe!’

So let’s make our declaration: “Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord.” On this day of remorse and turmoil The Psalmist’s cry is my cry. Trembling, crumbling, out of the depths I cry. And yet, in the throes of my anguish, O God I dare to believe. You see my groping and grasping. You hear my sighs and sobs. I dare to believe.

You can break through the emotional blockades You can rebuild my broken dreams. Though my words seem drenched with presumption To those who march with illusive courage I dare to believe. Your LOVE is unquenchable Your faithfulness is inexhaustible. I dare to believe.

You delight to draw me to Yourself You long to silence my desperate cry. I dare to believe. I will yet hear Your gentle words “I am your Father. Come home.” Weeping child It is true That I am your Father. Now dare to believe You are home.’

Oh friends, do we have the parts, the hope, the faith, the wherewithal to dare to believe, that the Lord God is our Father and we are at home with him, in His awesome presence and His undying LOVE? For all of our sakes, I sincerely hope so, else we’re certainly in bad shape.

And isn’t it strange that the most important thing that Jesus asks of us – to simply BELIEVE – is the thing we find the hardest to do. I guess that’s because believing entails trusting things and people you don’t know or can’t see. But that’s the whole beauty of walking with Jesus; you don’t need to see it to believe it, for He is our EVERYTHING! We live in Him and through Him and for Him. What can be better than that eh? Nothing really!

And the Bible Promise for that poem above is also our Bit for today. ‘Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care (anxiety) upon him; for he careth for you.’

Oh my people, please believe – there we have that word ‘believe’ again – that despite all our disobedience and sinfulness and trying to root Him out of our lives and our societies, that Almighty God who created us, still LOVES us like the first day He made us! His LOVE is unconditional and undying…but you have to BELIEVE…

Ah friends, but once we believe, then we need to be humble, to come humbly and with reverence before our heavenly Father, for though He is our Father, He is also our God and deserves obeisance on that front. And as Micah tells us: ‘He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly and to LOVE mercy (LOVING-kindness), and to walk humbly with thy God.’ (Mic.6:9)

Yes friends, we need to remember that the Lord is the potter, the Creator, and we are the clay, the ones whom He formed, and is constantly reforming in the image of Christ, so we need to have and show some appreciation of His awesome might and power…if we are wise.

And Isaiah declares of the Lord: ‘For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the heart of the contrite ones.’ (Is.57:15) And Cousin Sol adds: ‘By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honour, and life.’ (Prov.22:4)

You simply can’t go wrong my brethren by believing, being humble and reverent towards the Lord God Jehovah, our Maker and Controller. It’s indeed wisdom of the highest order! Now for those of us who truly believe and are sincerely trying to put it into practice, let’s go home declaring our position in the Lord, through our Wednesday Wail.

Altogether now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home.

My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’

And if we keep on keeping on and believing, the future will indeed be glorious…more glorious than we can ever imagine. Much LOVE!

…believe…only believe…it is the first…and also…the mightiest and most important step…